


Heaven is for Real (cont.)

by Fic_finisher (orphan_account)



Series: Age of Apocalypse : Slavery Arc (Orig. AU) [2]
Category: Age of Apocalypse (Comics), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Ableism, Bisexual Character, F/M, Homophobia, M/M, Other, Pansexual Character, Racism, Sensuality, Slavery, Slurs, War-related themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-18 06:23:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4695518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Fic_finisher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The parts of this series' AoA:Slavery!Arc which occur mainly in and around Warren Worthington's nightclub, Heaven.</p><p>For now, non-chronological.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rebel

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Heaven is for Real](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2794367) by [justwriting (orphan_account)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/justwriting). 



> Please remember the context of these drabbles: Age of Apocalypse was a harsh wartime setting with plots that focused strongly on discriminatory themes. These drabbles *WILL* contain racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia and any handful of other discriminating behaviors. It *WILL* contain heavy violence, because the characters are individuals who live in a society where anything and everything detrimental is acceptable and encouraged, as long as it's done by a mutant to a human. They are also canonically portrayed as brutal and harsh.
> 
> I, as the author, do not condone any of these behaviors, nor am I expressing hatred against any race, religion, sex/gender/orientation, or disability via these drabbles.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raze meets a new face that rarely comes to Heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: in-dialogue swearing, consensual objectification, mildly sensual description, mentions of alcohol
> 
> Raze is one of my pets. So is our surprise guest. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (placed just after here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4635744/chapters/10777625 )

Sweat dripped off every inch of lithe limb and torso faster than the drops could dry on the hardwood beneath him. Raze couldn't care less that the fluids could potentially damage Warren's pricey floor. He grunted and heaved himself higher on the pole, lifted his legs in a graceful, but strained, arc. Bit his lip gently in concentration. Exhaled relief when his feet finally touched the cool metal. Carefully wrapped his ankles around it. Released his hands and propelled his torso out of the backbend, gracefully up to reach between his legs for that pole. Held his body out, legs parallel to the metal. Returned his legs and squeezed the cylinder between his thighs, allowing his torso and arms to drape down.

He took a deep breath in the pose and released it, relaxing slightly.

And even though that relaxation was just slight, his mind wandered for too long. The carefully-constructed spine he was focusing on snapped with teeth-grating pain and the rest of his body froze. 

_Fuck. Not again._

Raze's confidence slipped away as his form fell onto the floor, disintegrating into a pool of gelatinous matter. The puddle rested a moment - this was the only way it ever got real rest - and then reformed on the floor in his usual male form. Again, Raze simply laid there. _Why can't this get faster?_

He turned over and pressed his forehead into the floor, sighing in exasperation. 

Years. It was taking years.

He heaved himself up and clenched his jaw, his fists. He ran to throw himself against the wall.

"I can't-" _slam_ "-fucking-" _slam_ "-STAY-" _slam, slam, slam-_

She had entered like, five seconds ago.

He stopped abruptly and stood straight, puffing air out of his nose and snarling silently at the wall.

"Hi."

"Hey," Alison snorted, walking into the room from the doorway. "Sounds like you're having the time of your life in here."

"Sure am," he said, shifting into jeans and a jacket instead of the yoga pants and shirt he was wearing. It wasn't the first time Ali had caught him in a 'tantrum' - her word, not his. It was kinda embarrassing. But better than her seeing...well. "Here I was, throwing the perfect little pity party, and you just had to come in and crash it."

She shrugged, lighting a cigarette and sucking the smoke in deeply. She let it go in a cloudy puff of toxin. That was all the shifter could smell when Alison was around. It didn't bug him, he just wondered what she actually smelled like. 

"So sorry. And even more sorry to break this unfortunate news to you: Warren wants to see you in his office."

The shifter groaned loudly and pushed off the wall. "Aw man. Whaddid I do this time?"

Alison snickered and flicked the ash off the end of her smoke. "Beats me. You know him better, anyway- he treats you practically like a son."

Raze shoved his hands in his pockets. Yeah. He kindof appreciated that and kindof felt squished under it. Street kid, adopted by the third-richest guy in the world. "I'm grown up, Ali." he said instead.

"Yeah, so? Grownups are boring as shit, Raze," she ruffled his bright red hair into an even more unruly state than it originally was. Raze smiled and leaned into the touch for a second. "Don't grow up."

The two of them walked through the back hallways, from the exercise room past the changeroom to the door of Warren's office. They didn't talk while they walked, because they didn't talk all the time. Raze liked just being around her sometimes. It was nice. 

Alison rolled her eyes when Raze shifted. Tight-hugging black leather pants with a split down the side, black around the inside of his eyelids, a nose piercing and no shirt. "Rebel."

"Look who's talkin'," he laughed, then struck a punk pose. "How do I look?" 

"You're totally hot. If you weren't basically my bro, you little shit, I'd definitely hit on you," Blaire complimented fondly. Raze knew she knew he needed praise. He also knew she didn't mind giving it. 

"Oh god wouldn't we be a great couple?" he smirked. Alison shoved him and he shoved back, laughing even harder.

"Go talk to Warren," she scoffed, thumbing her lighter and then putting it away - diligently sticking to her limit of 10 a day. 

"Proud o'you, Ali," he indicated the lighter. "You're fuckin' badass."

"Hmh. Why thank you. See ya later, dork," she waved as she left.

"Toodles," he giggled, and then sighed, turning the handle of the office door.

"Sounds like you two are having fun," Warren smiled when the shifter came in. He frowned when Raze's clothing choice registered, but didn't say anything.

Raze didn't know if he appreciated that or wanted the older man to tell him to change, right now, and then stick to his guns.

It didn't matter. Warren did his best. Usually. Other times he just chicken-shat.

"Dazzler said you wanted to talk to me."

He nodded. "You remember Rex?"

"The census-taker?" Raze nodded. "Yeah. You had me registered the first time he came."

"That's him. Well, you're a mutant, specifically an Alpha, and even more specifically a shapeshifter," Warren paused here. "Have you read that book I gave you?"

"Which one?" he asked, even though he knew perfectly well that Warren meant the Apocalyptic Law book. "The one about sex...?"

"No...the one about law," he said slowly, knowing that Raze knew.

The shifter shrugged. "Yeah, I'm like...a quarter of the way through it."

"Have you gotten to the 'rights of a shapeshifter' section?"

"Yup. It's pretty cool," he nodded. "Nobody can question if I'm telling the truth about my age or form, I get to talk to Apoc himself if I ever want to, I don't need a track/ident chip. Pretty cool. I feel _very_ important when I read that shit."

"It's not polite to roll your eyes or swear, Raze," Warren sighed. "Have you read about evaluations?"

"Nnn-ope not yet I don't remember those," he said honestly, shaking his head. Warren was also bossy. He wasn't so fond of that.

"Okay, well...every six months, until you agree to join their forces, they test your mutant abilities so they can document how powerful you are."

"Uh-huh. Makes sense," Raze nodded. "So how come the office meeting?"

Warren was very somber. "I wanted to talk to you about that - the evaluation. I know you've got all sorts of freedom, Raze, and there are some things you like that I don't agree with, but...I want to see you safe. So I think, when they eval you, I'd advise you not to accept."

Raze felt his defenses shoot up the moment Warren started excusing himself. " _What_ don't you agree with?" he asked somewhat sharply. He couldn't disagree with the safety and don't accept thing, but he sure as hell couldn't let _everything_ slip by.

"Well, that's not really the point, but...well, your choice of attire, of dance music, the way you let the customers touch you, the flirting and hanging out with EMFs-"

"Wow," Raze commented, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his head, eyes narrowed. "So you basically don't agree with who I am."

"It's not that I don't agree with who you are, Raze. I'll support you in everything, I just don't agree with some of your choices. Particularly the way you treat Kyle-"

"Who's Kyle?" he blinked, frowning.

Warren sighed somewhat sadly. "That's my point. Kyle is my best human employee and you don't even know his name."

"Oh, _human._ That would be why," Raze rolled his eyes again. He could swear Warren wanted to punch his pretty face.

"Look, I know you've had some tough times with humans in the past-"

"'Tough times'? Really, Warren?" he scoffed. "How is 'getting caged, beaten and kicked around as an animal' just 'tough times'?"

Angel was tense. He closed the hologram display thingy on his desk - it must've cost him a fortune - and stood. "If you want to talk about your issues with me, you can do it on your own time, Raze. I'll be more than willing to listen and help. For now, I've told you what you need to know: eval is next week, be ready for it. You can go dance now. In fact, Havok's at the bar and allegedly brought some guests. Have fun with your show."

The shifter stared him down for several moments. How could the guy make him feel so completely demeaned?

"Fuck you," he said aloud, then spun on his heel and left the room.

\------------

Raze actually drank on the job for the first time.

Only one drink. He'd actually never had _any_ alcohol before and he wasn't sure how his body would react. And it was only a beer. 

That must've been why he didn't even feel tipsy. Oh well. It was mostly just about doing something Warren disagreed with just because he could.

Helen finished a dance and it was his turn. The shifter mounted the podium, feeling at home immediately. His song came on - one of his favorites: S.E.X. by Nickelback - and his confidence returned within the first few lyrics. It stayed when he saw the man's attention turn to him during the first verse.

_...'no' is just a thought that never crosses my mind_

By the time Raze had done half a dozen shifts, just after the chorus, ze was surprised at just how much the man was watching. Usually people looked away at certain shapes, flinched, or dropped-jaw...but this one was fully facing the dancer, never flinching, never...anything. He was just...

Appreciative. Intrigued. Attentive. Constant.

_I wonder what's up under there.  
Wonder if I'll ever have it under my tongue..._

As ze slowly spun down the pole, he was smirking and staring in a way that made zir skin ripple.

 _Fuck. Control yourself, you dummy,_ ze thought. 

_I'd love to try to set you free,_  
All of you all over me  
Love to hear the sound you make the second you're done 

_Oh god, he's practically leering-_ Ze snapped her focus away just before she lost it, coming so close to almost living zir biggest nightmare. Ze couldn't do anything about the flood of anxious pheromones ze had just released, but ze gradually was able to ease them back to lust and confidence as ze continued to dance through the chorus. 

By the end of the song, the man had made eye contact with zir several times, and Raze could tell that it was on purpose. He had looked into zir eyes throughout the song as much as he had looked at zir body.

As she slid off the stage in a lithe female form, his eyes followed and met her own. Raze smirked troublesomely at him, biting her lip. He smirked back dangerously. 

This was what she had wanted - she had his attention and an in for her seductive approach. And yet, for the first time since coming here, she felt nervous and exposed.

One entire song, and she still new nothing about this man, except for his name, title, and occupation.

"Hey there, mister," she smiled. She came right into his space, running a hand over his dark-furred arm already. She wasn't surprised to find it fairly muscled.

Raze _was_ pleasantly surprised when he reached out and dragged his knuckles over her high cheekbones.

"Hello. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

Ugh, his voice was rich and light at the same time. He didn't even ask if he could touch her. He just did. Like he understood that that was what she was for. Raze was aware of her pupils dilating, and she rubbed against the backs of his fingers. 

_Ugh_....his smirk at her response was even better, leering and laughing and devouring all at once. Raze couldn't help a short laugh.

"Raze, sir," she smirked back. She'd totally ignore Warren's approval for this guy. No questions asked. She just would. "And you, I know, are Doc Henry McCoy."

Henry grinned back, tooth and fang, and trailed a claw down her neck. She turned her chin up to expose the ticklish skin. "The one and only."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *evil cackles* So...  
> Who guessed at Henry being Raze's new guest?
> 
> If you've been following along, I suppose it's been spoilt for you, actually.
> 
> _And aren't they going to be wonderful together!_
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for the read! I may be posting a second installment of this part before part one, so make sure to follow the series - not just one of the fics.
> 
> See ya'll very, _very_ soon. *waves*


	2. Creepy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A really skeevy shitty chapter that may need editing after my head is done being stuffed up with mucus and ache. 
> 
> Read at your own risk. It actually might be as bad as I feel it is atm.
> 
> Warnings: skeevy creepy pairing, mention of torture, mild swearing, mildly sensual/sexual content, mention of rape, mention of murder, reference to Sugar Man (bleeeeeehhhhhch), overbearing mother bird Warren, rebellious Raze, consensual objectification, implied/mentioned pedophilia, mentioned homophobia

Flattery got you everywhere these days, and Henry was far from squeamish about using such an old, tried-and-true method. What worked, worked. 

"Quite a performance. You look positively delightful wrapped around that pole."

"Mmm, thank you sir." Her eyes told him that she wasn't entirely falling for it, but Henry liked the decency she had in accepting the compliment and going along with it anyway. She smiled and her teeth raked over her bottom lip, then she formed Henry's name deliciously on her tongue like savoring steak, "Henry...can I call you Henry?"

"Oh, I'd love it," the geneticist grinned, removing his hand from her neck to see how she would respond.

"Well, Henry...I haven't seen you here before," Raze shot a questioning look at him, her hands pausing a moment on his chest.

Henry lifted a brow at her. "I haven't been here on a night you've worked."

She continued to touch him when she didn't get any otherwise indication, and laughed lightly at the statement. "You haven't been here for at least the last year, then. I work every night."

"You've only been here a year and Warren has you feeling up his customers already?" he purred - again, to see how she'd respond.

Raze's eyes flashed, but she wore her smile and touched like nothing whatsoever had irritated her. She shrugged. "Not really. It's a wonder he even lets me dance, actually. The rest is all voluntary."

"Intriguing," Henry commented. "I suppose everyone gets your voluntary treatment?"

"Nah. Just when they first arrive. Do you mind if I change?" she asked, shifting into her typical male form when Henry shook his head. "After that, it all depends on how much I like them, how polite they are, whether or not they mind a sex-changing shifter sitting on their lap while they chat. The ones that don't fit the descript just have to ask for it, that's all."

"So I likely won't get your attention when I drop in next."

"Well that all depends," he smirked winningly. "What about you, Henry? Do you like your job?"

"Oh yes," he smirked, more enthusiastically than was socially acceptable when in context. He didn't give a shit about social acceptability. "You know all the customers fairly well, then?"

If Raze was frustrated with his constant avoidances of the shifter's questions, he certainly wasn't letting it show. "Definitely. Havok over there likes his ladies and pretends not to like his men, Emplate's been eying a particular customer for months now, and unnamed customer #2 has a thing for young specimens," she stated.

"Now, why are you being discreet with some customers and not with the EMFs, hm?" Henry questioned, practically leering. He didn't even need to ask - the young man was being impressive, that was all - but as always, he wanted to hear the response.

Raze just smiled, pearly whites lining perfectly. "I take exceptions to genius. You've already determined your colleagues. Nothing I disclose about them will surprise you."

Now _that_ was an impressive use of flattery. Henry promptly decided that he liked this one. "Quite right," he smiled back. Raze's hands grazed over his pecs - over the nipples, no less - and Henry smirked. If he was trying to get a reaction, _that_ was not the way to do it. "Feeling handsy?" 

A perfectly designed brow lifted, and that playful little lip-bite revealed itself once more. "What do you mean?" the shifter asked ever-so-innocently, his hands now on the man's thighs.  
When you can't get it with the bronze, go for the gold.

Oh yes, Henry was fond of this one. He took its chin between his thumb and forefinger, drawing it close. He pressed a claw down gently on its bottom lip. Raze swallowed. Henry held him there for a moment, their lips hardly an inch away, and watched the shifter's eyes.

They stayed firmly fixed on his own.

"Look down." Henry spoke lowly. _Submit. Let's see if you will._

The shifter kept eye contact, unblinking. And then looked down for a moment. Then back up, questioning.

Henry smiled slightly. 

"There's nothing there," Raze frowned, seeming puzzled.

"I know," he replied, pressing the claw into the shifter's lip, threatening to draw blood. "I know."

\------------

"Okay, rules. I'm allowed to touch you, you're only allowed to touch me in the 'decent' areas. Fees get bigger for longer, lap is twenty credits higher per five minutes than pole. For proximity and risk, is all."

Raze did not like that little 'look down' thing. He was still wondering what the fuck that was about, and he did not like not knowing. Especially when the man was clearly a manipulator. But somehow they'd gotten from a nice, tense, perfectly sexy conversation by the bar, to a private dance room. Which happened to be his territory and playground. So 'look down' didn't even matter: Raze was on his game, now.

"I'll take a lap dance, duration of your choice, and you can tell me when you're done your shift," Henry said, placing his hands on the shifter's hips. He lifted a brow. "If you want."

"Wow," he smiled, wrapping his arms around the other man's neck. He liked Henry. He wasn't sure how much, yet, and the manipulation was annoying as fuck, but he still liked the guy. Why? "You're a creepy bastard, y'know?"

"Oh dear. My apologies," his tone was faux-contrite, "I would never want to seem _creepy_. Gosh, I must have intruded upon some boundary. Does that potty mouth come naturally, by the by?"

He tensed, just a little, fingers running through the fur at the back of Henry's neck. "Some of the first words I learned were foul," Raze admitted. "I like creepy. Weird, ain't it?"

"Not at all. We like what we like. There you go again. Street rat?" Henry suggested.

"Pretty much," he nodded. "You? Off the streets and into medicine?"

"No," he stated, leading Raze over to the sofa provided. "Apprenticed from the orphanage."

"Oh."

Henry snorted. "Finally lost that quick tongue of yours?"

"No quicker than your own," Raze grinned. McCoy sat, and the shifter spread his legs on either side of the man, beginning to dance. He liked it. Dancing. For other people. "What do you like, Henry?" he asked, lips inches from the other man's, a hand smoothing down the back of his neck down his chest. Raze focused heavily as he bent himself backward and then pulled up again, grinding down in Henry's lap.

"Isn't it your job to know that?" he arched a brow.

The shifter kept moving to the music, shifting into a female form one feature at a time, even though it irritated zir to have that pointed out. "It's hard to know when it seems like you like everything. What _don't_ you like?"  
"Multiple arms. That's about all that's a turn-off for me...although even _that_ has a potential."

"You just got a hundred times creepier, Doctor," she laughed, lifting herself to bring her full rack to his eye level.

"And thus a hundred times more attractive to you," he chuckled. "I'd love to touch those, but there's that decency rule..."

Raze shimmied low, hands coming to Henry's thighs. "I won't tell if you won't," she smirked. "Only because I like you a lot."

"How many customers do you like a lot?" He inquired, guiding her head away from his crotch and her chest back up.

She bit her lip. "None. I've never offered this to any customer."

Henry trailed the one hand from her chin down to grip a breast, bringing the other up from her waist. He flicked his thumbs over her nipples, watching them pebble, and kneaded the mounds. He smiled when she tilted her head back with a breathy moan. "Sensitive?"

"Yeah," Raze nodded, biting her lip again. She shifted out of his grip back into a male, dancing his lips close to Henry's. "I'm done in an hour. Work. Done work."

"Mm. I'd offer to take you home, but my bed is simply uncomfortable and the surroundings hardly sensual," Henry stated, fingers tracing abs and pecs and Raze's Adam's apple.

"My apartment's pretty fine. They allow music. I can cook."

"As can I."

"What would you like to-"

A knock on the room's door interrupted their conversation. Raze grit his teeth and squeezed a handful of Henry's fur. "Sorry. One sec," the shifter growled.

"Oh take your time," Henry said, amused. He raised his arms and settled his hands behind his head, one ankle resting on the other knee.

\------------

The moment Raze opened the door, he scowled at the knocker and stepped out of the private room, now in some decent apparel.

"What the _fuck_ , Warren?"

"You've been in there for half an hour, Raze," the owner frowned, arms crossed over his chest. "The doorman notified me. That guy's a psychotic murderer, Raze! When I said pay attention to some of Havok's guests, I didn't mean the torturer!"

The shifter frowned right back and then scoffed. "So? I'm still alive!"

"I don't want you servicing McCoy," Warren stated. "He's bad news. And you were nude!"

"Yeah. I get naked for clients. Heck, I even get naked on the pole, Warren! What's the problem?"

The older man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ten more minutes," he stated finally. "Any longer and I'll have him restricted from private sessions on suspicion of sexual assault or harassment."

"Fine," Raze agreed, turning to go back into the room. "Oh, and uh...I'm not working overtime tonight. I'm feeling a bit under-the-weather."

\------------

Warren paced his office for the next hour, keeping an eye on Raze via cameras. The kid was still hovering around McCoy.

Of all the possible customers to target, Warren wished the shifter hadn't picked _that one_. McCoy was notorious for his cruelty. For _enjoying_ cruelty. What he especially didn't like was that the doctor was staying far longer than he ever had before, and Raze was almost finished his shift.

Naturally, he had to intercept the pair on their way out when he confirmed that Henry was leaving with the dancer.

"Had a good evening, doctor?" he smiled politely.

Henry smirked back - a gruesome smile that Warren couldn't believe didn't make Raze's skin crawl. "Oh, yes. Far better than I was hoping, and the best in a long time, Mr Worthington. Your employee here has ensured that," he practically leered at the young man, a hand settling heavily on Raze's neck.

Warren wanted to step between the two of them.

Instead, he merely clenched his fists. "I'm glad he's done such an excellent job," he smiled. He turned his attention to Raze, who was practically draped over Henry's arm. "Any problems tonight, Raze?"

He shook his head and smiled, but Warren easily saw the tension in his eyes. "Nope. See ya tomorrow, Warren. Thanks for the opportunity."

"My pleasure," he smiled. What opportunity. "You have a good night. Stay safe." his eyes flicked to Henry.

"He'll be safe," the doctor pretty much leered. "I'll be escorting him home."

Warren paused, looking at Raze. Raze smirked back.

"Good," was all he could say, and then step out of the way.

When the two were gone, Angel felt unsafe in his domain.


	3. Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahahahaha. 
> 
> Heh. 
> 
> Hah.
> 
> Chapter Warnings: pansexual characters, smoking, mention of drinking, pedophilia?, mild sexual content, mild swearing, references to classic literature and movies, reference to the internet, fluff and shit, oops that's a swear I'll have to change it from mild to moderate, nothing important happens in this chapter except that everybody gets to see what a nice, pleasant creep Henry is. Also my lack of ability to chronologically record events is showing.

"So..." Alison smirked the next morning, pouring coffee for her and Raze. "How was the sex?"

Raze arched a brow at her. "We didn't have sex," she stated almost smugly.

Alison looked at her and waited. "Okay, so you did what all night? Kill people?" she gasped. "Did he drop you off and then leave? I will kill that fucker for you if he just left, Raze-"

The shifter broke out in giggles. " _That's_ the worst-case scenario you think of?"

Alison hit her in the arm. "Come on, smartie. What happened?"

"He drove me home, and I made hot chocolates. And we talked about stuff. Oh, and he showed me how to access this satellite that people used to use that held all sorts of info, and we watched this thing called a movie. It was about these huge things called 'dinosaurs' that eat people. In an amusement park-"

"Jurassic Park," Alison interrupted. "Geez, kid. You really are young, aren't you?"

"Shut up," she frowned, but then nodded. "That's what it was called. He's really cool, y'know? And then we talked more and I needed a couple hours of sleep and told him that and he said he could sleep a little, so we went to bed." she bit her lip and groaned. "He is _so_ warm."

Alison snorted. "Most bodies are," she shrugged, smirking and handing Raze her coffee. "What did you guys talk about?" she prompted girlfriendishly.

Raze gave a little smile. "Okay, so...he saw all my books, right, so asked if I liked reading and I told him yeah and about some of my favorites and asked what he reads. And he reads like all sorts of medical stuff, right, but he also reads like...Lord of The Rings and something called Dexter and some classic poetry and just stuff. Lots of all sorts of stuff."

"Okay..."

"And we talked about what else we like to do in spare time, so I told him I practice the pole and watch people and sometimes sketch and he wanted to see my sketches, so I showed him. He reads and plays card games and things in his free time, and he showed me that satellite thing. And we watched and then talked about the movie, and also about like..."

Alison waited for Raze to think. "Did you talk about things you don't really want to tell me?" she asked carefully.

"A little bit," she admitted, blushing. "It wasn't about sex, I'd tell you that-"

"I know."

"It's just...private, you know?" she squirmed a little.

Alison nodded. "Hey, you're entitled to some privacy. Just be careful about who you share the privacy with. Are you sure he's not the type to tell anyone?"

Raze worried at her lip. "I'm not sure. I can't tell much about him. Like, y'know how I read people usually?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I can read he's a bit of a manipulator, and he's really smart," she frowned, "but I can't tell what he likes. He says he likes all sorts of people, so I gotta go by that. He says he likes light comedies and also heavy poetries, so I gotta go by that, too. He says not much about himself, but he definitely doesn't talk about other people unless you ask. I can't tell, Alison. It makes me feel weird."

She frowned with the shifter. "Okay, so what do you mean by 'feel weird'? Curious, weird? Anxious, weird?"

"Kinda..." she trailed off. "It's like when you go into a house you've never been in before and you don't know how to turn on the lights. You just...you can't find the lightswitch. So you can't see what the house looks like. Kindof. And you've still got to decide whether or not you like the house."

"Wow. That's...creepy," Alison said.

"Yes!" Raze nodded, eyes wide. "He's creepy! The whole thing is creepy and weird."

"Yeah, it is," Alison nodded. She took a mouthful of coffee and then lit up a cigarette. "Basically, you've got two choices, right. You can either totally ignore him because he's creepy and you can't pin him down...or you can go after him and pin him down."

Raze worried at her lip again, watching the smoke curl up from the cig. "What would you do?"

She snorted. "I wouldn't have touched that guy with a ten-foot-pole in the first place. But at this point...nope, I would completely separate myself from him. He experiments on people for a living. I'm not interested."

"Why does that matter?" Raze asked, irritated. "Why does everyone care that he experiments on people? Why does it matter?"

Alison looked at him hard for a second, pulling on the cigarette. She exhaled and took another drink of coffee. "Have you read Frankenstein?"

She nodded. 

"Do you think experiments mattered to Adam?"

Raze thumbed the edge of the counter. "But I'm not Adam. And neither are you and Warren-"

She shrugged. "If he can experiment on one person, he can do it on anyone else. If it matters to Adam, it should matter to us. Otherwise everybody becomes either a Victor or an Adam."

"That is profound," Raze frowned.

Alison choked out a laugh. "Oooh, I'm _profound_ now. To be, or not to be," she said melodramatically.

Raze laughed with her. "Thanks, Ali."

"No prob, squirt. Oh, and if you still wanna figure him out, do it. I'll tell you I told you so if he turns out to be an asshole, but I'll support you 'til then."

Raze nodded. "Don't tell Warren."

She raised her hands. "Dude, I wouldn't talk to stick-up-his-butt about your lovelife if my life depended on it."

\------------

_**Last night...** _

"That was awesome," Raze looked up at Henry with wide eyes when the movie finally came to an end, birds cruising over yellow-reflecting water. 

"Cult classic," he smirked, scratching the shifter's scalp gently, eliciting a moan of pure pleasure.

"What's that?" he opened a sleepy eye.

"It's when a movie was so good that it gained a following. Thirty years later it would have an anniversary and all the fans would watch it again. Essentially, it's when a movie's so good it's never forgotten," Henry explained for him. 

"That's neat," Raze said, looking up at Henry. He turned around in the geneticist's lap and studied his face, wrapping his arms behind his neck.

Henry felt over the contours of Raze's face thoughtfully. He appreciated the admiration - it was really a form of worship, if one thought about it the right way. He could tell by now that Raze could read people, figure them out with little effort. The fact that the shifter was still trying to read him was flattering. "What are you thinking?" he asked, watching Raze's eyes spark briefly.

"I'm not. I'm feeling," the shifter said.

"Oh?"

Raze smiled. "You feel really warm. And strong, and really..." he seemed to be thinking about what word he wanted. "Solid. And that's all physical. Underneath you're all webs."

Henry smirked in amusement. All that reading, and the boy still couldn't articulate. "How do you mean?" he asked, intrigued.

"Well, you're...webby," Raze sighed, frustrated. His arms tensed around the other man's neck. "People have lines. They like one thing, which means they probably like several other things and act a specific way. Jesse likes women and Guinness, but only drinks one. He doesn't like to get drunk. He probably doesn't skip shifts or skimp hours and he probably does exactly what he's supposed to do when he's supposed to do it. Jesse's responsible. Havok likes men and cheap bear and vodka. He likes getting drunk, he's aggressive, he probably challenges authority and skips and skimps a lot. He's angry and irresponsible and probably doesn't get anywhere much even if he tries. And I have a friend-" Raze hesitated.

"Go on," Henry prompted gently, smoothing his hands over the anxious creature's waist. Raze bit his lip.

"...I have a friend who smokes but doesn't drink a lot. They're sarcastic and playful and callous but they care. And they gossip a lot, but not about things that matter. They're sad, really. Very sad. But they're still trying and taking help and they'll get somewhere eventually, because if you're sad but someone's helping you, and if you care but you can still laugh at someone, then you can get somewhere. People are straight lines. Sometimes things are different, but people are still generally a pattern."

Henry nodded. He had understood what it meant minutes ago. It took the poor thing such a long time to get to a point. It must be self-conscious about its ability to articulate, Henry decided. "And I am not a straight line? I have no pattern?"

Raze nodded almost excitedly. "Exactly! You're all webby. You like any drink, and you listen but don't talk much. You didn't get drunk. You didn't make any scenes. You didn't talk to Warren until we were leaving. You like any person, but you weren't out looking for just any person. You didn't like the human server, but you still looked at some humans with interest. You're webby. Your patterns are screwed up."

Henry snorted, slightly impressed. "I've never heard it put quite like that. Usually people just tell me I'm a cold, insane bastard."

Raze studied him another moment. "I don't think you're insane at all. I think you're awfully sane."

"Then you're a smart one, Raze," he smirked, drawing a finger over the shifter's lips. "Tell me something."

"Yeh?" he smiled, tongue protruding to slide wetly over Henry's fingertip, to the geneticist's delight.

"How old are you?"

Raze tensed immediately, pulled away. Henry knew this would be a sensitive subject. The boy was a _boy_. He knew it back in Heaven, when it couldn't understand why the creepy dark man wanted him to look down. "I dunno," the shifter shrugged.

"Now, that-" Henry stated, frowning, "Is a lie. I hope you didn't think you could get away with deception with me."

"I don't wanna tell you."

"That's true," Henry agreed. "Why wouldn't you want to tell me, hm? Afraid I'll tell on you? I'm not much for tattletaling, Raze."

Raze frowned and grit his teeth, then slid off Henry's lap and headed into the kitchen without a word.

The geneticist was suddenly very bored. Flight was dull when the predator was lethargic - and Henry just didn't want to get up and follow the kid all the way across the room. Besides. Raze was a curious little creature. He couldn't just leave a mystery. He had to learn about it. Therefore, he would return to learn about Henry. He didn't have to move an inch himself.

It took a little longer than he expected, so he cracked open 'The Jungle Book' and began reading about Bagheerah's agreement with Mowgli's wolf pack. Wild boy raised by wolves. Hmh.

"Four years."

Henry looked up from the entrancing classic fiction to the shifter. "Hullo. What was that?"

Raze rolled her - she'd shifted into this cute little freckled blonde while she was gone - pretty blue eyes and crossed her arms over her moderate chest. "I'm four years old. Physically. No one knows that. My mental age ranges between teenaged and thirty-seven depending on the subject. Eval," she explained.

Which made perfect sense. Linguistic and mathematic capabilities were tested during evaluations, as well as sentient level, maturity - sexual, emotional, and mental, and general knowledge. Obviously the toddler had an increased capability for information absorption - hence the plethora of books and the advanced ability to pin people down, and the lack of ability to articulate its own thoughts and emotions using the vast vocabulary it had evidently built. Accumulation and articulation were two different learning processes. 

"I see," he stated simply, scouring her form without a shred of decency. "You seem like an adult."

Raze shrugged in discomfort. "I learn quickly, and I can act well. I develop quickly, too. I can't tell anyone or I'll lose my freedom because of being a child, essentially," she spat out the word 'child,' with understandable distaste, Henry reasoned. If you could look like an adult, act like an adult, for the most part talk like an adult, and contained more information that most adults, you'd want to be treated like an adult. Not a child. 

"Well, I can guarantee you no one will hear about it from me," he smiled, pleased and with some form of kindness. "As for freedoms - it seems to me that you have all the qualities of an adult, with your advanced development. Your youth, I assure you, won't throw me off an nth."

She seemed to perk up a little. "Really?"

"Really." Henry was all charm when he beckoned her over, and Raze was all flirt as she settled comfortably, confidently, in his lap. Yes, Dark Beast McCoy was the biggest pervert in the universe. "Neither will your forms," he added, rubbing a thumb over one of the nipples that were peaking through her shirt.

Raze smirked, biting her lip, and then leaned close to Henry. "Kiss me," she told him. 

The geneticist gave a troublesome grin and then complied. He captured a handful of her hair and pulled her down slowly to his lips, drawing out the lack of contact by keeping them just an inch apart. Her hands were on his chest, his free hand on her waist. A couple hot breaths, and he closed the space between them.

The shifter melted against Henry, moaning into the hot, heavy kiss while the doc taught her by example some magical new things to do with her tongue. Raze sucked at his tongue at one point, eliciting a chuckle and growl from Henry.

When they pulled away, it was with heavy breaths and a wet, sucking _pop._ Raze giggled, Henry smirked. 

"I'm going to show you something," Raze said. Henry arched a brow. The shifter seemed nervous, suddenly. Then she yawned. "Next time. I need sleep now."

"Fair enough," McCoy smirked, petting her hair. It was important, she was willing to share it, and there was going to be another encounter. "Mind if we share?"

"Nuh-uh," she said, leaning against his shoulder. "I'll be the little spoon."

"I would never have given you the option to be the big spoon," Henry snorted. "Now tell me how you know so much about sex..."


End file.
